Clumsiest Political Peace Offering

Editors' Pick

Gov. Larry Hogan

A month after his upset victory in November 2014, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan muffed an opportunity to make political peace with the Montgomery County power structure. During a speech before the annual Committee for Montgomery breakfast, Hogan deadpanned, “Now, I realize that Montgomery County was one of the three lonely counties that unfortunately voted the wrong way from the entire rest of the state.” The clumsy attempt at humor was widely viewed by the gathering of nearly 800 local leaders as a veiled threat of political payback. Then, following the annual legislative session, Hogan refused to spend about $68 million approved by the General Assembly for school districts in high-cost areas. The move fell most heavily on Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and the city of Baltimore—heavily Democratic jurisdictions that had voted the “wrong way” on Election Day. Some wondered: Was this evidence of the governor’s dark humor of December coming home to roost?